The Hokage Building
"Moryo was an immortal monster. Many years ago, someone used Moryo's power to create the Undead Army and tried to conquer the entire Ninja World.
"At the time, the First Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons stepped forward and sacrificed her life to seal Moryo, bringing that disaster to an end."
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly explained the situation in the Land of Demons. "Now, Miroku, the current Shrine Maiden, has sent a request for help. Someone is helping Moryo run amok and wants to threaten the entire Ninja World again. She's asking Konoha for assistance.
"I've decided that Chiba Genichi's team will lead this mission, with Minato Namikaze's team in support. The two teams will complete it together."
Minato Namikaze wore a worried expression. "Lord Hokage, Moryo sounds like a serious threat. Isn't it too dangerous to involve these newly graduated children?"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage smiled before replying, "Don't worry, Minato. The Shrine Maiden will be the one to seal Moryo. She knows a special Sealing Jutsu designed specifically to deal with him. Your actual mission is to protect her and provide support."
Then the Third Hokage handed the mission scroll to Genichi and cautioned him, "There's one more thing you must keep in mind. The Land of Demons is remote, and because it has stayed out of the world's affairs due to the Shrine Maiden and Moryo, the Ninja World has long recognized it as a neutral country. The Shrine Maiden may also ask other great ninja villages for help with this disaster.
"The situation in the Ninja World is growing increasingly tense. You must show the world Konoha's strength and make a good impression, while also avoiding clashes with shinobi from other major nations. Don't give them an excuse to start a war."
Genichi felt utterly speechless. It was the classic "you must do this and that, too." Still, he took the scroll and said, "I'll complete the mission!"
Time was of the essence. Genichi and Minato brought Might Guy, Shizune, Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara with them. After restocking their ninja tools and supplies, they set out from Konoha.
To avoid causing friction between the great nations, the two men agreed to follow the border, traveling through the Land of Rain, the Land of Birds, and the Land of Bears before reaching the Land of Demons.
While they were resting by a lake, Genichi asked, "So, how are you feeling? Your first mission outside the village involves crossing all these countries and working alongside another great ninja village. Are any of you nervous?"
Forget nervous—Kurenai Yuhi was completely stunned.
Earlier, their teacher Genichi had told them, "The mission itself isn't important. Focus on teamwork while you're out there, and use Water Walking and tree climbing to train your chakra control." Then he'd assigned the three of them simple D-rank missions.
Kurenai had already mastered those skills, so she'd been bored out of her mind, wondering when she'd get to leave the village on a C-rank mission.
Who would've thought my first mission outside the village would be this insanely difficult S-rank mission? It'd be dangerous even for my father.
Rin was worried, too. "Is this mission going to be dangerous?"
Genichi reassured her, "There's no need to worry too much, Rin. Do you remember the three rules for medical ninja? During the mission, you and Shizune just need to look after yourselves."
"That's right. Don't be scared. I'll protect you, too." Obito thumped his chest and declared, "This mission is the first step toward making a name for myself in the Ninja World and becoming Hokage!"
"Heh. Idiot," Kakashi shot back.
"Kakashi, you jerk!"
For some reason, Kakashi always managed to rile Obito up with ease.
Seeing this, Genichi chuckled. "You've certainly got plenty of energy. As a reward for this mission, whoever performs the best will get one of my original ninjutsu.
"You can choose either the Rasengan or Chidori. The Rasengan has no chakra-nature requirements, while Chidori is Lightning Release Ninjutsu."
"Is that the Rasengan?" Shizune cried out.
Genichi asked, "Shizune, why are you so surprised?"
"Well, Nawaki nii-san hasn't really accepted his defeat by you, Teacher Genichi. He's been wanting to redeem himself," Shizune explained.
"For a while, I saw him playing with water balloons. I asked him about it several times before he finally said, 'I'm just about to figure out that guy Genichi's strongest secret technique. Once I get it, I'll definitely get my revenge.'
"Then I asked Lady Tsunade. She told me the Rasengan was an A-rank-or-higher hand-seal-free technique recorded in the Scroll of Seals. If you added Chakra Nature Transformation, its power could even reach the level of an S-rank forbidden technique."
"His secret technique? Heh. Nawaki's as naive as ever. Those I've defeated are no longer my rivals. I'll give them time to catch up—until they can no longer see me."
Hearing this, Obito grew excited again. The Uchiha bloodline's flair for dramatic declarations was slowly awakening in him. He felt as if he'd grasped something important, but when he thought about it, nothing came to mind.
"To give you a better idea of these two techniques, I'll demonstrate them," Genichi said, getting up and walking to the shore.
Without making a single Hand Seal, a pale blue ball of chakra suddenly appeared in Genichi's hand. He tossed it, and the Rasengan flew toward the middle of the lake.
As everyone watched in anticipation, the Rasengan grew smaller and smaller until it vanished in midair.
"What? That's it? Nothing happened! Did the technique fail—" Obito blurted out, disappointed.
Boom! Genichi snapped his fingers, and water erupted from the lake with a tremendous explosion, cutting Obito off.
"A technique that turns invisible? That's so cool!!!" Obito leaped up in excitement. How cool would I look if I used a technique like that in front of Rin?
"So youthful! The Rasengan! I don't think I can learn it, but I'll still do my best. Teacher Genichi, please keep your eyes on me!" Guy was fired up, too.
"Shing, shing, shing." Without making any Hand Seals, Genichi gathered a ball of lightning in his right hand.
"I added some Lightning Release Chakra to the Rasengan just now, which is what made it invisible. And this is Chidori. It normally requires Hand Seals, but once you've mastered it, you can use it without them."
Genichi had been able to use some ninjutsu without Hand Seals for a long time, but he still maintained the habit. Hand Seals helped him control the chakra inside his body, letting him perform techniques faster and with greater power.
But this was a lesson, so skipping the Hand Seals looked cooler.
"High-density Lightning Release Chakra makes a sound like a thousand birds chirping. That's where the name Chidori comes from."
As he spoke, Genichi formed the Chidori, then released it with a sharp whoosh. Chidori: Sharp Spear sliced through two large trees by the lake, cutting them clean in half.
"Chidori can greatly increase the user's speed. You can also channel it into a Ninja Blade to increase its lethality, or focus it into a single point and release it like this to strike from a distance."
When Kakashi saw Chidori, he looked at it with longing. For some reason, the technique seemed tailor-made for him. Even its sound was so beautiful—the "shing, shing, shing" rang in his mind long after it faded.
I'm taking Chidori. Kakashi glanced at his rival, feeling that as a Chunin, he was sure to win.
"Can medical ninja like Shizune and me learn the Rasengan, too?" Rin asked.
As a child, Rin had witnessed the horrors of war with her own eyes. That was why she had decided to become a medical ninja: she wanted to save her comrades when they were wounded on the battlefield.
But if she could master some offensive ninjutsu as well, it would be a great help, both for surviving on the battlefield and for protecting her teammates.
Genichi answered confidently, "Of course. It'll actually be easier for you to learn. The Rasengan only involves changing the shape of chakra, so it tests a ninja's chakra control more than anything else—and that's often a medical ninja's strong suit. The technique's power ultimately depends on how much chakra you use, though."
Kurenai clenched one hand, silently encouraging herself. She wanted to learn the Rasengan, too. She had already learned several genjutsu, but she still lacked a decisive offensive technique that could end a fight.
Before you continue